Social Security (US)

News about Social Security, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Oct. 23, 2014

Nearly 60 million Social Security recipients will get benefit increases averaging $20 a month, or 1.7 percent, in January, third straight year of historically small increases. MORE

Oct. 2, 2014

Gail Collins Op-Ed column observes Social Security has moved to center of Iowa Senate debates between Republican Joni Ernst and Democrat Bruce Braley; suggests many in political realm are trying to reassure their constituents that Social Security is not being taken away; holds underpinning some of discussion is anti-baby boomer sentiment. MORE

Aug. 1, 2014

Op-Ed article by Prof Laurence J Kotlikoff posits that federal government should have to report all its debts, like Social Security, not just the official ones; contends it is not just an economic problem, but a moral issue; questions whether we as nation will continue to hide most of bills we are bequeathing our children, or measure bills and begin reducing them. MORE

Jul. 29, 2014

Federal government’s annual report on the financial health of Medicare and Social Security projects that Medicare trust fund will remain solvent for 16 more years, until 2030, four years later than Obama administration predicted in May 2013; estimates that Social Security trust fund will be depleted by 2033, same as expected in 2013. MORE

Jul. 21, 2014

Paul Krugman Op-Ed column contends worries about budget deficits and national debt have faded from news after years of warnings due to fact that the panic surrounding them turned out to be false alarm; maintains debt panic was promoted only because it served political purpose as offering means to attack Social Security and Medicare. MORE

Jun. 13, 2014

Jim Dwyer About New York column questions federal government's decision to stop using seven small translation agencies in the New York City area for hearings concerning Social Security disability payments; notes all work was turned over to a single company, replacing small translation agencies with no apparent savings to taxpayers or gain in quality. MORE

May. 15, 2014

Many financial planners advise that retirees wait as long as possible before receiving Social Security benefits; despite this advice, sizable number of Americans who reach age 62 apply for benefits immediately, which locks in the lowest possible payment for life; waiting makes sense for those who do not immediately need the money, particularly in light of longer life spans. MORE

Apr. 15, 2014

Social Security Administration says it will stop trying to collect taxpayers' debts that are more than 10 years old. MORE

Mar. 22, 2014

Ron Lieber Your Money column; some couples continue to be tripped up by bureaucratic rules concerning Social Security spousal benefits, despite overturn of federal law banning gay marriage. MORE

Mar. 15, 2014

Retiring column; while the seniors rights movement remains relatively muted, intensifying fear about retirement security could spur elderly agitators into the streets. MORE

Feb. 25, 2014

Manhattan district attorney's office issues 28 additional indictments as part of investigation into extensive scheme to defraud Social Security disability insurance; new defendants include dozens of former New York City police officers and eight former firefighters, charged with falsely claiming mental illnesses to obtain more than $21.4 million in federal disability payments. MORE

Feb. 21, 2014

Pres Obama's 2015 budget plan will not include proposal to trim cost-of-living increases in Social Security checks, gesture of bipartisanship he made to Republicans in seeking fiscal compromise; White House officials say since Republicans have shown no willingness to meet his proposal on an entitlement overhaul by closing loopholes for corporations and the wealthy, Obama's proposed budget will not assume a path to an agreement that no longer appears to exist. MORE

Jan. 10, 2014

Six more New York police officers are arraigned in state court on charges they feigned mental illness to bilk Social Security out of disability benefits; Internal Affairs detectives will be reviewing claims of line-of-duty injuries by scores of retired officers accused in scheme. MORE

Jan. 8, 2014

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R Vance Jr announces arrest of 106 people, including 80 retired New York City police officers and firefighters, charged with faking Social Security disability claims as part of decades-long fraud that has cost federal government estimated $400 million; many of those charged had received disability payments for psychiatric disorders that they falsely claimed were result of Sept 11 attacks. MORE

Nov. 22, 2013

Paul Krugman Op-Ed column disputes two major arguments for cutting Social Security--that retirement age should be raised, and that seniors are doing just fine; puts forth strong case for expanding, not cutting, program, since for many people, only thing protecting them from abject penury will be Social Security. MORE

Nov. 16, 2013

Tara Siegel Bernard Your Money column advises that if people nearing retirement delay collecting their Social Security benefits, which can be claimed anywhere from age 62 to 70, they can collect more money annually; argues that this will generate more income at less cost than buying immediate annuities from insurance companies. MORE

Aug. 22, 2013

Federal prosecutors announce that more than 70 people have been indicted in Puerto Rico as part of a two-year investigation into widespread fraud in Social Security disability payments. MORE

Jul. 2, 2013

Economists who have studied the issue tend to agree that more immigration is better for the Social Security system, at least for many years to come, but that the effect is small. MORE

Jun. 10, 2013

Editorial cites report by trustees of Social Security that shows problem with program is manageable and that it is not in crisis; outlines sensible ways to fix Social Security without undermining it as support against hardship in old age. MORE

Jun. 9, 2013

Robert J Shiller Economic View observes that switching to a new index for calculating Social Security benefits is on the table, and an alternative switch to consider is linking retiree's benefits to gross domestic product per capita, in current dollars; points out that contribution rate might need to be increased to fix solvency problem. MORE

Jun. 3, 2013

Paul Krugman Op-Ed column contends reports of Social Security and Medicare trustees suggest that both programs need work, but are not anywhere close to being doomed to fail; calls for more focus on providing jobs for unemployed Americans now rather than focusing on how to pay benefits for retirees in 2035. MORE

Jun. 1, 2013

Obama administration says the financial outlook for Medicare has improved because of a stronger economy and slower growth in health spending, and the financial condition of Social Security has not worsened but is still unsustainable; under current law, the administration says, Medicare’s hospital insurance trust fund will be exhausted in 2026, and the Social Security Trust Fund will be depleted in 2033. MORE

May. 15, 2013

Political Memo holds that Republicans still have powerful incentives to strike budget deal with Pres Obama; suggests that delaying steps to rein in Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid means delaying significant attempts to curb size of government, and that longer delays continue, Washington faces sharper and more immediate changes that must eventually be made to ease long-term fiscal issues. MORE

Apr. 20, 2013

Tara Siegel Bernard Your Money column holds that Pres Obama's offer to slow rate at which social security benefits increase over time, part of effort to reach bipartisan agreement on budget deficit, could hurt eldest senior citizens at most economically vulnerable part of their lives. MORE

Apr. 14, 2013

Pres Obama's budget proposal, which puts Social Security and Medicare benefits on negotiating table, could force Democrats to take uncomfortable stand on measure that is unpopular with their base; liberal groups and some union activists are threatening to challenge Democrats in primaries, and Republicans have signaled that they would use proposal against Democrats in 2014 midterm elections. MORE

Apr. 13, 2013

Gail Collins Op-Ed column mocks Rep Greg Walden, chairman of National Republican Congressional Committee, for criticizing Pres Obama's proposal to reduce the way cost-of-living raises are computed for Social Security; holds despite Walden's posturing, there are signs that budget standoff may be inching toward resolution. MORE

Apr. 11, 2013

Pres Obama's new budget proposes concessions to Republicans on Social Security and Medicare in exchange for higher taxes on wealthy and spending to create jobs; Obama's offer to compromise on social programs opens heated debate among Democrats over what it means to be progressive in an age of austerity. MORE

Apr. 6, 2013

Speaker John A Boehner accuses Pres Obama of again demanding tax increases in exchange for modest entitlement savings; at some time, some liberals vent their own anger about Obama's plans for Social Security and Medicare; sharp reaction to budget days before its release highlights difficulty of making bipartisan deal. MORE

Apr. 5, 2013

Pres Obama will take political risk of formally presenting budget plan that proposes cuts to Social Security and Medicare; move is effort to demonstrate his willingness to compromise with Republicans and revive prospects for long-term deficit-reduction deal; administration's hope is to create cracks in GOP antitax resistance, especially in Senate, as constituents complain about across-the-board cuts in military and domestic programs. MORE

Apr. 4, 2013

View that Medicare and Social Security recipients get only what they have paid for through taxes, premiums and medical co-payments is challenging lawmakers as they try to limit spending; average single male who retired at age 65 in 2010 will receive over $100,000 more in benefits than he paid in taxes, gap is projected to grow; current retirees are roughly breaking even when it comes to Social Security, but future retirees are projected to pay in more than they take out. MORE

Apr. 2, 2013

Letter from Sen Bernard Sanders comments on March 31 editorial about Pres Obama's effort to cut Social Security amid federal budget debate. MORE

Mar. 31, 2013

Editorial outlines problems with Social Security, in light of fact that program may be affected by fight over federal budget deficit; offers rational and acceptable fixes to program that could preserve it for generations to come if political will can be found to enact them. MORE

Feb. 20, 2013

Op-Ed article by editor Yuval Levin suggests federal government may find compromise on budget if both Democrats and Republicans agree to spend less money on wealthy by allocating Medicare and Social Security benefits according to need. MORE

Jan. 13, 2013

Editorial criticizes Obama administration for embracing idea of cutting spending by lowering cost-of-living adjustment for Social Security benefits; contends that there are other, well-researched reforms to Social Security that administration and other policy makers can pursue. MORE

Jan. 6, 2013

Op-Ed article by government Prof Gary King and demographer Samir S Soneji warns that Social Security Administration underestimates how long Americans will live and how much trust funds will need to pay out, and as result, trust funds will run out two years earlier than government has predicted if nothing is done; outlines solutions for keeping Social Security alive. MORE

Dec. 15, 2012

AARP veers back to hard-line position of opposing any cutbacks in Medicare or Social Security and is seeking to keep those programs off bargaining table in deficit deal negotiations; group angered members in 2011 by agreeing to possibility of accepting modest cuts in Social Security benefits. MORE

Dec. 14, 2012

Vermont Sen Bernard Sanders, outspoken critic of 2011 deal that extended tax cuts for wealthy Americans, urges Pres Obama to take tougher stance with Congress and take all cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid off the bargaining table in current fiscal negotiations. MORE

Nov. 27, 2012

Newly empowered Democrats may resist significant changes in entitlement programs, making it harder for Pres Obama to resolve year-end fiscal crisis; president has already signaled his willingness to consider substantial changes to social safety net in exchange for Republicans' acceptance of tax increases; debate over programs like Social Security and Medicare is shaping up to be Democratic version of Republicans' internal struggle over taxes. MORE

Nov. 25, 2012

Ross Douthat Op-Ed column calls on both political parties to do everything they can to make payroll tax holiday permanent; contend payroll tax has made Social Security seem paid for, and thus sacrosanct, while imposing unnecessary burden on economy. MORE

Nov. 16, 2012

Paul Krugman Op-Ed column disputes validity of idea that raising retirement age on Social Security and age of eligibility for Medicare is necessary given longer life expectancy and need for deficit reduction; contends idea, if implemented, would be harsh blow to most vulnerable Americans, and containing rise of health care costs would be better way to cut deficit. MORE

Oct. 17, 2012

More than 56 million Americans on Social Security will receive an average $19 more a month starting in January 2013; raise is one of the smallest annual increases since automatic adjustments for inflation were adopted in 1975. MORE

Sep. 12, 2012

Seniors in retirement relying solely on Social Security benefits must live on an inflexible budget that teeters on the brink of poverty and offers little security at a vulnerable time of life. MORE

Sep. 9, 2012

Sunday Dialogue on ways in which to preserve Medicare and Social Security. MORE

Jun. 10, 2012

Recession and its protracted aftermath have forced many older unemployed Americans to draw Social Security much earlier than they had planned; early withdrawals have significant economic repercussions that are likely to plague retirees even if the economy revives. MORE

May. 22, 2012

Supreme Court agrees to hear case challenging a 2008 federal law that broadened the government’s power to monitor international communications; court also issues decision denying Social Security benefits to children conceived using their dead father's sperm; also decides that length of immigrant parents' lawful residence in the US should not be considered in determining whether their children may be deported; finally, rules that federal law requiring lawsuit winners to pay for interpreters does not cover cost of translating documents. MORE

Apr. 27, 2012

Editorial cautions report issued by the trustees of Social Security on the outlook for the program is a reminder that lawmakers should act soon to bolster the system's financing; contends report also serves as a warning that anything affecting the economy affects Social Security, and that sound public policy is essential. MORE

Apr. 25, 2012

Eduardo Porter Economic Scene column, prompted by publication of Social Security's annual financial report, says that disability insurance takes too many workers out of the job market prematurely, reduces their lifetime income and slows economic growth; contends that it is critical to fix problems with the nation's disability program but says it rarely receives the political attention it deserves. MORE

Apr. 24, 2012

Obama administration reports a significant deterioration in the outlook for Social Security, while stating that the financial condition of Medicare is stable but still unsustainable; the central message of government report is that the two programs will not last without structural changes that have so far eluded Congress and the administration. MORE

Mar. 1, 2012

Gail Collins Op-Ed column ridicules Mitt Romney's proposed fixes to the Social Security imbalance, which focus on cutting benefits and raising the retirement age; holds that the simplest fix would be to eliminate the payroll tax cap, solution that is intolerable to Romney and his fiscally conservative supporters. MORE

Medicare is now projected to run out of money in 2030, four years longer than predicted last year, thanks to a slowdown in health care spending tied to the new health law, according to the government’s annual report on the financial health of...